Right Move--A Gay Cowboy Romance

by A. M. Arthur

  Reyes oversaw the firewood collection with the wagon’s shotgun in his hand, muzzle pointed at the ground. “Only dry wood, please,” he said. “Don’t break anything off a tree, because it won’t burn and it hurts the tree. We need all sizes, so carry what you can manage best.”

  Mrs. Porter didn’t seem thrilled with picking up sticks and mostly poked around. Levi rolled his eyes and collected the larger pieces that would keep the fire going throughout the night. When Reyes deemed they’d collected enough, the group headed back to the main site where the wood was sorted into piles based on size. Mr. Harrison asked about “personal business” and Hugo pointed out a rocky area with a few thick scrub trees as the watering hole.

  Good to know.

  “This is one of our traditions with new campers,” Reyes said. “Who here knows how to build a campfire properly?”

  Levi resisted raising his hand, curious about the other guests. Miles looked like he was trying to hide a smirk.

  Faith’s hand shot right into the air and she bounced on her toes. “I’ve been watching videos online to learn. I know.”

  “All right, Miss,” Reyes replied. “How about you build it and I’ll light it for you?”

  “Okay.”

  Reyes handed her a wad of newspaper, and Faith quickly began to build it, using the paper and some dry grass as the tinder, smaller sticks for the kindling, constructing a textbook perfect pyramid of sticks that got bigger with each layer she added. The largest of the logs were left for later, once the fire really got blazing.

  “Very good job,” Reyes said. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Faith scooted back, and Reyes used a barbecue lighter to catch the tinder. It began to burn and grow, until soon a crackling fire warmed the chilly winter air and heated Levi’s face and bare hands.

  Hugo got a big, cast-iron pot situated over the fire and heated up bean and beef chili. After traveling all over the country, and especially the south, for most of his life, Levi had tried and appreciated a lot of different chili over the years. Texas-style meat only. Blow-your-head-off spicy and sweet, mild, smoky versions. Beans and meat. Even a few vegetarian chilies. But he definitely ranked Patrice’s at the top of the list. Reyes toasted up crusty bread over the fire, and it was the perfect accompaniment to the meal.

  All Levi needed to make it outstanding was a beer. But—out camping or not—he also didn’t drink anymore for very good reasons.

  After everything was cleaned in the creek and stored away in the wagon, Hugo brought out a few decks of cards and a box of matches for betting. Levi was pretty good at poker but he didn’t like to gamble anymore, not even for matchsticks, so he wandered a bit, looking up at the beauty of the star-filled sky. Admiring the gorgeous sight he was blessed to sleep beneath tonight.

  “Thank you for this moment,” he whispered. “Thank you for your beauty.”

  He swore one of the stars winked.

  “Do you know any constellations?” George asked, his soft voice a pleasant sound on the night air. He stopped an arm’s reach from Levi, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets.

  “A few. Columba is one of my favorites. It means dove, and it’s named for the mythical dove that Noah sent from the ark during the great flood to search for land. The dove brought back an olive branch and hope. It’s hard to see from here but—” Levi pointed “—it should be right about there.”

  George’s gaze followed his direction. “I never used to notice the stars. But I grew up in the city and with all the light pollution, stars were things you saw in movies, not real life. This sky is incredible. I really wish Orry was here to see it, because no picture I take on my phone will ever capture the true glory of it.”

  “You’re right. Pictures can capture moments in time but they can’t often capture the emotion of the experience. Only the human heart can do that.”

  “You know, you could probably make extra money writing poetry and inspirational quotes.”

  “I kind of already do.”

  George tilted his head, his blond hair seeming to glow under the starlight. “How’s that?”

  Levi hadn’t kept his blog a secret on purpose; he simply wasn’t used to talking about it with other people besides Robin. It was too personal. “I have a travel blog that I started about two years ago. Mostly it was for fun. A way to document my travels in the tiny home, and then to show off my cats. I upload pictures I take and write brief essays on different things. Spirituality, how precious nature is, my perspective on the places I visit. It doesn’t make me a lot of money but I do get some ad revenue.”

  “Oh wow, that’s really cool.” George’s hand jerked, as if reaching for his phone, only to remember there was no Wi-Fi. “When we get back will you show it to me?”

  “Of course. It’s not a secret, it’s just personal, so I never bring it up.”

  “I think it’s kind of amazing.” His smile dimmed. “Do you post about me?”

  “Only in a vague way when I wrote about Ginger getting hurt and a very kind new friend was taking care of her. I didn’t mention you by name, only referred to you as G. I wanted to protect your privacy, since I hadn’t told you I was writing about you.”

  “Okay, thanks. I mean, I didn’t figure you would, but...” He shrugged.

  “I’m not offended that you asked. But I do agree with you about no picture accurately capturing this sky.” Levi tried, though, taking a long panoramic shot of the beauty above them. “Do you mind if I write about our vacation? Vaguely, of course.”

  “I don’t mind. How could I say no? You write about where you travel to, and this is a new part of the land for you.”

  “Thank you, George.” He shoved his hands into his own jacket pockets so he didn’t haul George into his arms and kiss him soundly under those magical stars. What was it about moonlight and nature that made George so hard to resist? They’d shared a similarly intense moment last night on their walk. Arousal buzzed across his skin, and Levi bit his tongue hard to stave it off.

  The last thing he needed was to return to camp with a boner.

  George was staring at his mouth, and that was a problem. Levi took three steps backward and gazed up at the sky. Pointed out a few more constellations he recognized to pass the time before the night air got uncomfortably cold. They headed back to the campfire. Two-person tents had been pitched, and the Porter-Sanchez quartet was nowhere in sight; two tents were zipped up. Miles pointed out the last unclaimed tent.

  “I think I’m going to read on my phone for a while,” George said. “Get a little solitude.”

  “Of course.” Levi sat on a log next to Hugo and watched George disappear into their tent. Good grief, but they seemed a lot smaller in person. At least they’d have two sleeping bags between them. Still, Levi didn’t want to be the guy who woke up humping his friend because he couldn’t control his dick.

  So he’d stay up as late as possible and hopefully be too exhausted to do more than pass out.

  “You and George seem really friendly,” Hugo said quietly, their conversation mostly masked by the cracking of the fire.

  “We’re getting there.” When Levi first came to the ranch last winter, Hugo had flirted with him pretty heavily, and Levi had been flattered. And interested. But their single date in Levi’s home proved they didn’t have any real chemistry. They’d remained friends, though, no awkwardness over the brief encounter. “George is a special guy. It’s nice to see him opening up. Pushing against his comfort zones in positive ways.”

  “Well, you be good to him, then.”

  Levi blinked. “I—what? Of course I’m good to him. He’s a terrific friend.”

  Hugo snickered and leaned in closer. “Dude, anyone with eyeballs can see how you two look at each other. There’s no sense in pretending.”

  Oh great.

  “Please, don’t gossip about it,” Levi whispered. �
��George is an intensely private person and gossip will make him hugely uncomfortable.”

  Hugo mimicked locking his lips with a key. “And if you don’t want others to gossip, maybe stop making moon eyes at him when he isn’t looking.”

  “Duly noted, and I thank you for your discretion.”

  “No problem. I mean, you never spread my stuff around, so I won’t spread your stuff around.” During their single date, Hugo had told Levi a bit about his past, including the tidbit that he had—by some epic twist of fate—grown up in Texas one town over from fellow ranch horseman Colt Woods and gone to school with his younger brothers. Colt had disappeared while Hugo was just a kid, so he’d never recognized Hugo, and Hugo wanted to leave it that way.

  He’d left a lot of hurt behind in his old hometown. Levi could definitely empathize with needing to get away from your past. Levi just wished he’d gotten away from his own in a less painful, self-destructive manner.

  Reyes added a log to the fire. “Hugo, I’ll take the first watch if you want to get some sleep.”

  “Cool. Night, Levi.”

  “Night,” Levi said with a grin.

  Reyes replaced Hugo on the log, and they sat in silence for a while. Not even the brightness of the fire could dim the beauty of the stars. “They make you feel very, very small, don’t they?” Levi asked. “The stars.”

  “Yes, they do. When Miles and I go camping, just the two of us, we’ll lay on a blanket and watch them for hours.”

  “I do that at home sometimes, just to hear them whisper.” Robin always said the land whispered to him in the darkest hours of dawn. He used to sit on his porch for hours whittling before he’d gotten a handle on his insomnia. Levi had always believed nature spoke to you if you knew how to listen.

  “Can’t say that I’ve heard the stars whisper,” Reyes said, “but this land does sometimes feel magical. It gave me my husband, and I can’t imagine how lonely my life would be without Miles in it. He’s everything to me.”

  That Reyes was being this open with him surprised Levi a little. They were friendly but not what Levi would consider friends. “Thank you for sharin’ your truth with me, Reyes. Sincerely. I can only hope to have that sort of love in my life one day.”

  “If you do find it, hold on tight with both hands. And be as honest with them as you can. I kept something bad in my past from Miles, and I almost lost him. I thank God every day that he forgave me.”

  Levi glanced at the tent, uncertain how George would react to certain parts of the year he’d spent drunk, high and eventually homeless. “I’m glad he did. I don’t think I’ve ever seen two more in-synch people than you and Miles. Except maybe Robin and Shawn, but I also spend a lot of time with them at the ghost town.”

  “True.”

  They stared at the fire for a while longer. The other campers had all retired and the night was silent, save the crackling of wood as it worked to keep them warm. The tree had sacrificed its branches to the earth, and tomorrow those ashes would be buried back in the very ground that birthed it. The circle of life.

  Eventually, Levi’s eyes drooped and he could no longer ignore the siren’s call of sleep. Tents and sleeping bags weren’t the most comfortable things on earth but it beat the bench seat of a rusty, abandoned pickup truck in the freezing rain with only a ripped tarp to cover himself. The tent itself was sort of warm, probably from George’s body heat, and George’s soft, steady snore was a very comforting sound.

  As quietly as he could, Levi shucked his boots and slid into his sleeping bag. Zipped it up about halfway and used his jacket to bulk up the small, attached pillow. Tired though he was after a long day of riding in the winter sunshine, Levi lay awake for a long time, listening to George breathe.

  * * *

  George woke to the sound of voices outside his tent, and it took him a few seconds to remember why he was so stiff and sleeping in a tent at all. The camping trip. He blinked his tentmate’s face into focus. Levi slept facing him, a wave of dark hair fanning over his forehead. Peaceful. He’d never woken up in bed with another guy before, and while this wasn’t technically a bed, they were maybe a foot apart.

  Close enough.

  Yesterday had been both a joyous and stressful day for George. Joyous for all the new experiences of trail riding, looking at the stars with Levi, and simply being around a crowd of people again for the first time in years. And stressful for all the same reasons. He’d tried hard not to use his safe word with Levi, and being able to separate themselves from the group during the card playing had helped immensely. It had also left George aroused and with a desperate need to kiss Levi again.

  They’d both refrained, and George had managed to fall asleep. But just observing Levi’s sleeping face sent blood where he didn’t need it. He did have to pee, though, so he quietly untangled from his almost-too-hot sleeping bag, put his sneakers and jacket on, and braved the chilly morning.

  Hugo was stoking the fire with small branches, waking the embers up into a full roar again. With the Harrison family the only others moving around yet, George took advantage of the watering hole to relieve himself. The sun was still low on the horizon, rising slowly over the rolling landscape, and George took a few pictures of the gorgeous shades of pinks, reds and oranges that swiftly brightened to brilliant blue.

  Over a filling breakfast of biscuits and gravy and coffee, Reyes informed them they’d be leaving the wagon behind and riding up to a summit, before the long trail ride home. After hearing the stories of Slater’s heroic rescue, George was eager to see this summit in person. Levi seemed a bit standoffish during the meal, sitting with a lot of room between them and barely speaking.

  Odd but George was in too good a mood to read anything into it.

  Reyes unhooked his horse from the wagon and actually rode her bareback. Their group rode for a few miles before stopping near the edge of a cliff that overlooked a vast green valley. The view was beyond breathtaking, and George kind of wanted to cry for how lovely the land was. Down in the valley full of plants and another creek was a small herd of deer all grazing together. He took as many photos as he possibly could while keeping a safe distance from the edge. Even Levi seemed in awe, if his wide-eyed, slack-jawed expression was anything to judge by.

  “I remember my first time here,” Miles said to George, coming up on his left. “I couldn’t believe it either. That I’d ever see something so pretty in person.”

  “It’s exquisite.” George didn’t know what else to say.

  “More than two and a half ago years ago,” Reyes said in a clear tone, “one of our guests named Wes Bentley let his horse wander from the group. Said horse was spooked by a skunk and sped off at gallop. Took Wes miles north of here before stopping in the remains of what had once been an old gold rush town. Arthur Garrett’s grandson Mack decided to invest in rebuilding the town and turning it into a living attraction. While it’s currently closed for the season, if you ever find yourselves back in these parts from February to November, it’s well worth a day of your time.”

  “I can’t imagine that,” George said to Miles. “My horse galloping away. I’d have probably peed myself.”

  Miles snickered. “Wes was terrified. He’s my best friend, and it was kind of incredible to live through. The ghost town, rebuilding it, being asked to be the head chef at the saloon. Opening day. But all the work has been worth it. It’s amazing to think of all the good that came out of one little skunk.”

  “True story. I can’t stop thinking about Slater going over that cliff back in May and being in one solid piece again.”

  “Yeah, I remember when that happened. Reyes was up here with him, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard him so panicked. But somehow Slater came out of it with only a busted ankle and a concussion, and him being with Derrick brought you and your brother into the family. We’re a very eclectic bunch but we’re loyal.”

  George
loved the sentiment but wasn’t as sure he and Orry were really part of the huge, extended Garrett family yet. Maybe soon, if things went the way he hoped they did with Levi. “It’s nice being part of something again.”

  “If you ever need anything, please reach out.”

  “I appreciate it.” George wandered over to stand by Levi, curious at his continued quiet when he’d been all smiles and conversation the day before. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, just thinking a lot. Had a good talk with Reyes last night. It was about as personal as we’ve been with each other.”

  “Anything you want to share?”

  Levi shrugged but one corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile. “I guess I’m jealous of the strong relationship he has with Miles. The last time I trusted a man with my heart, I got burned. No, more like scorched. But I do want what Reyes and Miles have. One day. With the right person.”

  George didn’t let himself hope he could be that right person. Not when everything between him and Levi was still so young and fresh. Untested. “I think I’m jealous of them, too. Happier for them, though. I keep trying to get Orry to date but he always says he’s too busy working.”

  “Speaking of Orry working, did you ever ask him why he lied about bartending Thanksgiving night?”

  “No.” He’d mostly convinced himself not to think about it, that it wasn’t a big deal. But it still tickled at the back of his mind.

  “Do you think he’s lied about work before?”

  “I hope not. I mean, unless he’s out there drug dealing, I won’t care. Money is money.”

  The dig Adrian had made about Orry’s past this summer nudged its way under George’s skin like the tiniest shard of glass and stuck there. No way was Orry out there hooking for money. The only reason Orry had done it when he was sixteen was because he’d run away from home and lived on the streets. He’d been desperate and once confessed to George that he’d been ashamed of it. But it had allowed Orry to survive and come home to George when he’d needed him most. George’s income was steady, so even if Orry had lost one of his gigs, they weren’t cash strapped or anywhere close to broke.